The Nightmare Cycle
[PT: The Nightmare Cycle /End PT]
The Nightmare Cycle is a gender system based around the feeling of being trapped by your own subconscious, an inevitability that can't be avoided--at least, not for long. It's related to fear and nightmares, as well as demons and any other creature that lurks in the night. Inspired by Nightmare on Elm Street, the webcomic School Bus Graveyard, and similar things.
Dagian: a gender related to dawn. It may also be related to beginnings and endings, cycles, and the quiet, solemn aftermath of chaos and carnage.
[ID: A flag with 7 horizontal stripes. The top three stripes are a gradient, from top to bottom, of light to dark red-orange. The bottom four stripes are a gradient of light to dark purple-blue. A dark yellow semi-circle is just above the purple-blue stripes, giving the appearance of a rising sun. /End ID]
Doxian: a gender related to dusk. It may also be related to beginnings and endings, cycles, and the tense apprehension of carnage, a sort of "calm before the storm".
[ID: A flag with 7 horizontal stripes. The top three stripes are a gradient, from top to bottom, of dark to light blue. The bottom four stripes are a gradient of light to dark red-orange. A dark yellow semi-circle is just above the red-orange stripes, giving the appearance of a setting sun. /End ID]
Mærian [may-ree-en]: a gender related to nightmares. It's linked closely to terror and the desperate need to survive. May be related to cycles.
[ID: A flag with 7 horizontal stripes. The top three stripes are a gradient, from top to bottom, of light to dark red. The next stripe is light blue. The bottom three stripes are a gradient of light to dark gray. A pale yellow semi-circle is just above the light blue stripe. /End ID]
Dærian [day-ree-en]: a gender related to the stage between sleeping and waking. It's linked closely to naps, sleep paralysis, and the fear of helplessness.
[ID: A flag with 7 horizontal stripes. The top three stripes are a gradient, from top to bottom, of light to dark cyan. The next stripe is light gray. The bottom three stripes are a gradient of red to dark red. A bright yellow semi-circle is just above the gray stripes. /End ID]
Dæxian [dayks-ee-en]: a gender related to the creatures in your nightmares. The things only a sleeping mind could come up with. The things that haunt you.
[ID: A flag with 7 horizontal stripes. The top three stripes are a gradient, from top to bottom, of light to dark purple-blue. The next stripe is dark gray. The bottom three stripes are a gradient of light to dark red. A black semi-circle is just above the gray stripe. /End ID]